An SST Christmas — 5 Cheap Ways to Decorate

December 6, 2013

I love Christmas decorations so much, but positively detest how expensive they are. I just perused Pottery Barn to get some decorating ideas and one mantle garland is $70. Is that for real? I could eat off of $70 for two weeks. It’s just rude.

Because no one has enough time or money to decorate like Martha Stewart for Christmas, I’ve put together five ways to make your home look festive for the holidays without spending a million dollars on a wreath. Hyperbole, I know.

1. Buy a box of ornaments — my mother told me to get antique ornaments, but I went to Marshall’s instead — and throw them in a bowl. Voila! Instant holiday cheer for less that $10. I got the gold bowl from a local consignment store for $10, it stays up year-round though.

2. Use fresh garland from your local tree farmers. I bought this mixed garland from our local tree seller and it was $4 for two yards! Such a steal. It also has boxwood sprigs in it which I love.

3. Buy these — fake, shh — wreaths from Target on sale for $32 each. Slap a $5 red velvet bow from Lowe’s on there and you’ve got yourself a nice little door decoration that will last from year to year. Note: Make sure to store in an airtight container so the wreaths don’t get dusty.

4. Use fresh greenery from the bottom of your Christmas tree. Just snip a few lower limbs off of your tree and arrange it on a table. I put it on just about any flat surface really. It’s a great way to add some Christmas cheer without spending any more money. Or, when you are purchasing your garland, ask the tree farmers if you can snag some of their extra limbs from trimming the trees — they gave me some for free.

5. Don’t have a tree skirt? Neither do I. Use a flat sheet or a blanket and swath it around the bottom of the Christmas tree. Honestly, I like the way this looks much better than most tree skirts I’ve seen. This was an old sheet of Wilson’s and is one of the few things that did not get purged once we moved in together. Whoopsies.

Here are a few more photos of our Christmas decorations. For some reason I really got into the spirit this year…